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The Yearbook of Estonian Courts focuses on topical issues
8 June 2026
PDFThe Yearbook of Estonian Courts, published on 21 April, addresses issues that have attracted considerable public attention, including juvenile offending, diverse employment disputes, and the dilemmas surrounding the hunting of large carnivores and nature conservation.
“Although the past year was marked by ongoing discussions about changes to the court administration model and court organisation, judges continue their daily work and resolve issues that often deserve broader public attention,” said the Head of the Editorial Board of the Yearbook, Justice of the Supreme Court Nele Siitam. “For this reason, we have selected one topic from each field of law that is of particular interest to the public,” she added.
Labour law concerns many people. In the Yearbook, District Court judges Ann Meriluht and Gerty Pau discuss the legal questions and challenges they encounter when resolving employment disputes, ranging from oral employment contracts and long-distance drivers to underage employees.
Administrative courts were established to protect individuals and businesses against the exercise of public authority. Based on media coverage, one might gain the impression that administrative courts are increasingly siding with nature rather than people. The Yearbook explains what decisions have actually been made and the considerations underlying them. Administrative Court Judge Pihel Sarv examines disputes concerning large carnivores and provides an overview of the relevant case law.
The Yearbook also contains several other insightful articles. Alongside the traditional annual reviews of the self-governing bodies of the judiciary, it provides an overview of the 2025 procedural statistics of the district, administrative and circuit courts, activities of the Council for Administration of Courts in 2025, as well as information on the judiciary as of early 2026.
The Editorial Board of the Yearbook consisted, in addition to Nele Siitam, of Managing Editor Maarja Oras (Judge of the Tallinn Administrative Court), Markus Kärner (Judge of the Tallinn Circuit Court), Triin Uusen-Nacke (Judge of the Tartu Circuit Court), Karin Leichter-Tammisto (Adviser to the President of the Supreme Court) and Kristi Kirsberg (Head of Communications for the Estonian Courts). The language editor was Sten Lind (Judge of the Tallinn Circuit Court).
Further information:
Kristi Kirsberg
Head of Communications for the Estonian Courts
+372 528 6684, kristi [dot] kirsberg
riigikohus [dot] ee
riigikohus [dot] ee